Cryptocurrency & Bitcoin Trading Scams
Cryptocurrency is the fastest-growing channel for investment fraud in the UK. Although crypto is harder to recover than card or bank transfers, blockchain forensics and exchange-level KYC mean recovery is far from impossible.
£306m+
Lost to crypto investment scams in the UK in 2023
70%
Of fraudulent crypto eventually touches a regulated exchange
4.8 ★
Trustpilot rating
Secure
Encrypted case vault
Overview
Cryptocurrency is the fastest-growing channel for investment fraud in the UK. Although crypto is harder to recover than card or bank transfers, blockchain forensics and exchange-level KYC mean recovery is far from impossible.
Warning Signs to Watch For
- • Promises of guaranteed or unrealistic returns from crypto trading or staking
- • A celebrity or influencer endorsement that the celebrity later denies
- • A platform that asks you to deposit crypto rather than fiat
- • Withdrawal blocked behind a sudden "tax", "liquidity fee", or "verification deposit"
- • A trading bot or AI platform with no verifiable track record
- • A new "account manager" pushing you to deposit more
- • Requests to install AnyDesk or TeamViewer to "help you trade"
How Cryptocurrency Scams Work
The most common pattern is a fake trading platform that displays fabricated profits. Victims deposit Bitcoin, Ethereum, or USDT, see their balance grow on screen, and then discover they cannot withdraw without paying ever-larger "fees" and "taxes". Other variants include rug-pull tokens, fake staking pools, romance-led crypto scams, and impersonation of real exchanges through clone websites.
Why Recovery Is Possible
Public blockchains are transparent ledgers. Every movement of your funds is permanently recorded. Even when criminals use mixers or chain-hopping to obscure the trail, modern forensic tools follow the money — and an estimated 70% of stolen crypto eventually flows through a regulated exchange where the recipient can be identified through KYC records.
The Legal Tools We Use
- Bankers Trust orders compelling exchanges to disclose recipient identities
- Norwich Pharmacal orders obtaining information from third parties
- Worldwide freezing injunctions against persons unknown
- Civil fraud claims once the recipient is identified
- Liaison with international law enforcement and exchange compliance teams
What To Do Right Now
Stop all communication with the platform. Do not pay any further "release fees" — that money is also lost. Take screenshots of your account, wallet addresses, and all communications. Note every transaction hash. The earlier you act, the higher the chance funds are still recoverable from the exchange they will eventually pass through.
Our Approach
Forensic Tracing
We follow your funds on-chain through wallets, mixers, and bridges to identify where they ended up.
Exchange Targeting
When funds reach a regulated exchange, we serve formal demands and KYC requests to freeze and identify the recipient.
Legal Action
We use Bankers Trust and Norwich Pharmacal orders, plus civil claims against identified wallet holders.
Recover
We negotiate the return of frozen funds or pursue judgment-based recovery against named defendants.